Bloggerific Bloggification -- A Blog: January 2007

Robotic Garage To Open in Chinatown

WNYC - News - Robotic Garage To Open in Chinatown

"Chinatown calling Alameda ... Chinatown calling Alameda ..." .... ;-)

Pictures HERE and more HERE.

Discovering Stonehenge's Twin

Discovering Stonehenge's Twin -- Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007 -- Page 1 -- TIME

A great neolithic discovery ... looks like the people were having big feasts, and discarding the bones, when the food was only half eaten ...

More HERE.

Imaging the Surface of Mars

>Imaging the Surface of Mars - January 2007 Issue - (AdvancedImagingPro.com | Advanced Imaging)

Nice description of the HiRISE Camera of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ...

"Hobbit" Was Own Species, Not Diseased Human, Brain Study Says

"Hobbit" Was Own Species, Not Diseased Human, Brain Study Says

A thorough study ... I hope this quiets the naysayers ...

Scientists find new clue to life on Mars

Scientists find new clue to life on Mars | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

Looks like we need the capacity to dig 20 ft deep on Mars ..... Somebody get to work on that! .... :)

Researchers craft microscale robotic hand for surgeries

Researchers craft microscale robotic hand for surgeries - Engadget

Very Impressive, that the robotic hand is a mere 1 mm, when clenched ....

Hasselblad intros 31-megapixel H3D-31 DSLR

Hasselblad intros 31-megapixel H3D-31 DSLR - Engadget

Can't wait for regular DSLRs to hit this resolution-range, in ?what? ... 3 years? ... :)

ConAgra revives Redenbacher for popcorn ads

ConAgra revives Redenbacher for popcorn ads - USATODAY.com

I must admit that I found it a bit creepy recently when I saw a TV commercial, where a figure came on, in the midst of a group of people, and announced ... "I am Orvil Redenbacher .." ... creepy, because I knew immediately that Orvil Redenbacher died 11 years ago, and also because I recognized the odd-looking figure was a CG creation, standing between real actors.
This was a trip into the "Uncanny Valley" and might have been better served as a animated cartoon. The synthesis isn't quite there yet, and the non-human-ness of the character, is a bit too much to take.
Having said that ... I really look forward to the day when "good" CG animations of deceased actors and historic figures make their way into film. I would thouroughly enjoy seeing a tastefully done new sitcom featuring Lucile Ball, in current surroundings.

More HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.

And Remember ... Just because you're dead ---
... doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing new commercials --------- :-/

Hubble Telescope Shuts Down, Loses Most of Main Camera

VOA News - Hubble Telescope Shuts Down, Loses Most of Main Camera

Sad News ..... Even though at first blush, they seem to indicate that the Shuttle repair mission, in a little over a year, will be unable to fix this problem ... perhaps by then, they can think of some way of repairing the Advanced Camera for Surveys, OR they can come up with an additional Shuttle mission to make the repair.

Magnetic, luminescent nanoparticles set new standard

Magnetic, luminescent nanoparticles set new standard

Sounds like these particular nanoparticles are chock-full of possiblities ....

This Web site can name that tune

This Web site can name that tune | Tech News on ZDNet

I can name that tune in 10 nnnooooo ... seconds! ......... ;-)

NASA Studies Early Moon Shot for New Space Capsule

SPACE.com -- NASA Studies Early Moon Shot for New Space Capsule

"Skip-entry technique" and setting down on land within the United States certainly is different from the old-school Moon landing missions.

Humans Wiped Out Australian Giants

LiveScience.com - Humans Wiped Out Australian Giants

FROM THE ARTICLE:
“So humans, very likely, played the decisive role in the extinction event—through hunting of juveniles and through burning of the vegetation cover and changing the plant composition to disadvantage the browsers and grazers.”

More HERE.

Moore's Law seen extended in chip breakthrough

Moore's Law seen extended in chip breakthrough | Technology | Technology | Reuters.co.uk

Gordon Moore's Law Rules Again! ... ;-)

More HERE and HERE.

Caverns give up huge fossil haul

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Caverns give up huge fossil haul

Terrific fossil find ...

I thought Nullarbor was an odd name ... I'm glad I caught the bit at the bottom of the article, about their being "precious few trees" on Nullarbor Plain ... Get It ... Null-Arbor ... Null ~= Zero OR None, and Arbor as in Arborial or tree-related ....

Blood-cell-sized memory device beats industry estimates for computing capacity

Nanowerk News: Blood-cell-sized memory device beats industry estimates for computing capacity

A 20K memory circuit, the size of a red blood cell, and about 20 years ahead of it's time ... Most Impressive! ...

More HERE.

Damage to brain region helps smokers quit

Damage to brain region helps smokers quit | Tech&Sci | Science | Reuters.com

This certainly is an unexpected find ....

Gene switch makes tumours shrink

BBC NEWS | Health | Gene switch makes tumours shrink

Restoring function to defective/mutated p53 tumor-suppressor genes, sounds like a good plan ...

Toshiba-SanDisk claim title to highest-density 16Gb NAND flash

Toshiba-SanDisk claim title to highest-density 16Gb NAND flash - Engadget

Like the guy says ... "Better, Cheaper, Faster" .... :)

Ray gun makes targets feel as if they are on fire

Ray gun makes targets feel as if they are on fire - CNN.com

I still feel the human variation on this might lead to extremes, where some fighters could bear this pain, and others might have their skin severely damaged, due to some unforseen problems.

Duplicate HERE (with better picture).

ScienceDaily: A Century Later, New Research Brings Initial Find Of Alois Alzheimer To Fore Once Again

ScienceDaily: A Century Later, New Research Brings Initial Find Of Alois Alzheimer To Fore Once Again

Alzheimer's: First Article ....

Flying dinosaur may have resembled biplane

TheStar.com - News - Flying dinosaur may have resembled biplane

Who knew that bicycle repairmen could fly, or that dinosaurs invented the biplane ... ;-)

More HERE.

Robot nurses ready for wards 'in three years'

Robot nurses ready for wards 'in three years' | News | This is London

I was keeping vigil overnight, on the third floor, at a hospital here in the US (Georgia) back in December, 2006 ... and I heard this beeping coming down the hallway, around 5 or 6 A.M. ... I opened the door after it passed, and was surprised to see a robot on its way to the nurses station. I then recalled reading in the paper about the hospital purchasing such a robot to distribute meds from the pharmacy, along with ferrying papers, etc. ... One of the nurses told me, that the robot will wait politely for the (service/staff) elevator to be empty, before it will enter. It will not go inside if one of the staff is already on board.
While not as advanced as the ones mentioned in this article, it shows that robots in hospitals, are already making inroads.

Comet McNaught - A First Light Present for STEREO

Comet McNaught - A First Light Present for STEREO

Superb image of the two tails of Comet McNaught ....

The Universe's Invisible Hand

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: The Universe's Invisible Hand -- [ COSMOLOGY ] -- Dark energy does more than hurry along the expansion of the universe. It also has a stranglehold on the shape and spacing of galaxies

Most Informative ...

Folic acid supplements rejuvenate older brains

Folic acid supplements rejuvenate older brains - health - 19 January 2007 - New Scientist

That's what my brain needs ---- REJUVENATION ----- :)

More HERE.

Vast "Cloud Warrior" Ruin Found in Amazon

Vast "Cloud Warrior" Ruin Found in Amazon

Lucky find .... and a nice picture of the ruins, in the last link below ....

More HERE and HERE.

Software adds surface special effects with a click

Software adds surface special effects with a click - tech - 18 January 2007 - New Scientist Tech

Hope they can work the bugs out ... this is a very impressive mapping technique ....

Scientists Probe the Idle Mind

Dr. Koop - Scientists Probe the Idle Mind

My default state-of-mind lately, has been falling asleep ...

White beetle dazzles scientists

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | White beetle dazzles scientists

Yeah ... but does he have a dazzling-white smile? ............... :)

Concern over China's missile test

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Concern over China's missile test

These Chinese Generals can not be trusted ....

More HERE and HERE.

'Mach c'? Scientists observe sound traveling faster than the speed of light

'Mach c'? Scientists observe sound traveling faster than the speed of light

"Can you hear me ..." .... "chatting at light-speed?" .... :)

Dark energy may be vacuum

Dark energy may be vacuum

May be .....

Scientists reveal how world's worst flu killed victims

Scientists reveal how world's worst flu killed victims | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

It now looks like the 1918 flu virus that killed over 50 million people, was so virulent because it triggered a "cytokine storm" in it's victims. This explains the puzzling effect of it killing so many people that were healthy and in the prime of life. The virus turned their own body's immune system against itself. This is very similar to the recent immune system fiasco that happened in London, that came so close to killing those six test subjects.

More HERE.

Geologists: Black Diamonds Come From Outer Space

Geologists: Black Diamonds Come From Outer Space

A genuine curiosity .....

Can HP fool Moore's Law?

Can HP fool Moore's Law? | CNET News.com

It appears so ... :)

More HERE and HERE.

Sharp's 4k x 2k 64-inch ultra high res monitor

Sharp's 4k x 2k 64-inch ultra high res monitor - Engadget

Soon our monitors will be .... "better than life" ... ;-)

New 'Hobbit' galaxies discovered around Milky Way

New 'Hobbit' galaxies discovered around Milky Way - USATODAY.com

These faint hobbit galaxies fill in some of the blanks for missing galaxies that were predicted to swarm around the Milky Way, known as the "missing satellite problem". It's strange that these predictions are derived partially from formulations related to dark matter ... especially when we don't fully understand what dark matter is ....

New Gene Uncovered For Late-onset Alzheimer's; Findings Replicated In Four Different Ethnic Groups

ScienceDaily: New Gene Uncovered For Late-onset Alzheimer's; Findings Replicated In Four Different Ethnic Groups

Hopefully, this new gene, that was discovered two years ago, will add to the many puzzle pieces, that are needed to solve the complex picture that is Alzheimer's Disease.

Ancient stone tools found in N.America

Ancient stone tools found in N.America | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

I think history will bear out, that these pre-Clovis sites are the real deal ...

Asteroid tracker due for isles

starbulletin.com | News | /2007/01/11/

All news, should be Hawaii-based news ..... ;-)

Beavers and their dams may help amphibians

Beavers and their dams may help amphibians

Amphibians need all the help they can get these days ....

Mystery of world's biggest, yuckiest flower solved

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Mystery of world's biggest, yuckiest flower solved

The Mightiest Oaks from tiny Acorns Grow .... or flowers in this case ....

More HERE.

Chandra Discovers Light Echo from the Milky Way's Black Hole

Chandra Discovers Light Echo from the Milky Way's Black Hole

I marvel at these light echos ... It's like Space was Big or Something ..... ;-)

Lightning balls created in the lab

Lightning balls created in the lab - fundamentals - 10 January 2007 - New Scientist

Great Balls Of Fire!!! ................. ;-)

Desktop fabricator may kick-start home revolution

Desktop fabricator may kick-start home revolution - tech - 09 January 2007 - New Scientist Tech

These rapid prototyping machines are simply amazing .... The world is really going to change, when these things start being ubiquitous ....

'Pillars of creation' destroyed by supernova

'Pillars of creation' destroyed by supernova - space - 10 January 2007 - New Scientist Space

The Pillars of Creation were destroyed by Supernova Blast 6000 yrs ago ... but not yet ...

First Triple Quasar Discovered

CCNmag.com: First Triple Quasar Discovered

The odds are 1 in 200 Trillion, that these quasars could be arranged within 160,000 light-years, of one another. This tells you something about how more tightly-packed, the early Universe was, and about the violent interactions of those galaxies that were in close proximity to one another. These quasars are actually the supermassive black holes, that inhabit the center of a particular galaxy. They put out phenomenal amounts of light, based on matter interacting, being accelerated into, and devoured by the black holes.

More HERE.

Zoinks! Scooby-Doo Creator Dies

E! News - Zoinks! Scooby-Doo Creator Dies

Oh No! ..... :-(

Neutron star may sport four magnetic poles

Neutron star may sport four magnetic poles - space - 09 January 2007 - New Scientist Space

Detecting a patch of Neutron Star the size of a grapefruit ... THAT is SOME FEAT! ...

First Dark Matter, Then Dark Energy, Now a Dark Force

First Dark Matter, Then Dark Energy, Now a Dark Force?: BLOG: SciAm Observations

Now is appears we are turning to the Dark Force ... of .. t h e ....... S I D E .. ?!?!? ;-)

Hubble maps cosmic web of 'clumpy' dark matter in 3-D

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Hubble maps cosmic web of 'clumpy' dark matter in 3-D

The Universe just keeps on getting Curiouser and Curiouser .... :)

More HERE.

iRobot Unveils Create Robot

iRobot Unveils Create Robot - CES 2007 Coverage by PC Magazine

Combine iRobot's Create Robot with Lego Mindstorms NXT, and add a pinch of Microsoft Robotics Studio, and great tinkering fun can be had by all ..... ;-)

More HERE.

Hitachi announces 1 TB hard drive

CES 2007: Hitachi announces 1 TB hard drive | TG Daily

A Million Megabytes for use at Home! ... I can remember when it was hard to come up with content, to fill up a single floppy disk ....... :)

Moon River: Titan's Polar Surface Dotted with Lakes of Methane

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Moon River: Titan's Polar Surface Dotted with Lakes of Methane -- A missing methane sea on Titan has been replaced by a variety of lakes, according to new radar images

Minnesota could use some of that extreme cold, to freeze it's lakes, for the ice fishermen .... ;-)

Solid-state Hard Drive Capacity May Soon Double

BetaNews | Solid-state Hard Drive Capacity May Soon Double

32GB SSD ... Neat! ...

More HERE.

LG to Launch Dual-format Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD Player

Today @ PC World LG to Launch Dual-format Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD Player

See ..... E V E N T U A L L Y ... Someone gives the public what they want ..... :)

Planet82 Demos Super Sensitive Image Sensor

Planet82 Demos Super Sensitive Image Sensor - Consumer Electronics Show 2006 by PC Magazine

Could this product from planet82 in Korea, spell the end of Flash Photography? ... Sounds like a great application for a vehicle night-vision apparatus.

Company Website HERE.

Mars rovers are taught new tricks

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mars rovers are taught new tricks

Starting Year 4 of their 90 day project ... ;-) .... they just keep getting smarter and smarter ...

More HERE.

Indiana Jones 4 Coming May 2008!

Indiana Jones 4 Coming May 2008! - ComingSoon.net

Wonder if this has any relation at all, to the "bogus" script I found on the NET, many moons ago? .... hmmm .... May 2008 will tell ... :)

More HERE.

Bloggerific Bloggification -- A Blog

Wednesday, January 31, 2007